Disk spindle assembly cartridge

ABSTRACT

A disk spindle assembly cartridge is described. The disk spindle assembly cartridge includes a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, a disk seated on the spindle motor, a disk clamp attached to the spindle motor, wherein the disk clamp secures the disk to the spindle motor, and a cover attached to the base. The base is configured to detachably mount a head stack assembly cartridge, where the disk is accessible to a head stack assembly pivotally mounted in the head stack assembly cartridge via an opening defined by the base and the cover.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally concerns a hard drive component testingplatform and, in particular, is directed to a disk spindle assemblycartridge.

BACKGROUND

Component testing plays an important role during the manufacture andassembly of hard drives. Testing individual components allows themanufacturer to determine whether specifications of a new design havebeen met prior to incorporating the new component into a fully assembledhard drive. Testing representative component samples provides a measureof quality control that may prevent the wasteful assembly of a largenumber of hard drives using a faulty batch of components. However, manyconventional hard drive component testing systems fail to create atesting environment similar to that experienced by components in anoperating hard drive. Accordingly, these conventional systems arelimited in the number and range of parameters that can be tested beforethe component is incorporated into a working hard drive.

Conventional testing systems typically are expensive and relativelycomplex systems. Conventional testing systems may cost several hundredsof thousands, and possibly millions, of dollars to purchase andmaintain. This expense limits the number of testing systems amanufacturer can purchase given a limited budget, which correspondinglylimits the number of components that can be tested within a given timeframe. Many conventional component testing systems are complex pieces ofequipment requiring special training and/or special tools to set up andoperate. This complexity limits the efficiency and increases the overallcosts associated with operating and maintaining the systems.

SUMMARY

The disk spindle assembly cartridge described in the present disclosureis part of a modular hard drive component tester designed to address theforegoing deficiencies of conventional testing systems. This novel harddrive component tester is designed to use as many production hard drivecomponents as possible to both keep down costs of the testing platformand to help recreate a testing environment similar to that experiencedby components in an operating hard drive. As described herein, variousstructures from production hard drives have been modified to provide areliable and relatively easy to operate tester.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a disk spindleassembly cartridge is described. The disk spindle assembly cartridgeincludes a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, a disk seated onthe spindle motor, a disk clamp attached to the spindle motor, whereinthe disk clamp secures the disk to the spindle motor, and a coverattached to the base. The base is configured to detachably mount a headstack assembly cartridge, where the disk is accessible to a head stackassembly pivotally mounted in the head stack assembly cartridge via anopening defined by the base and the cover.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a hard drivecomponent tester is described. The hard drive component testing platformincludes a chassis plate, a disk spindle assembly cartridge removablymounted on a top surface of the chassis plate, and a printed circuitboard assembly mounted on the chassis plate. The disk spindle assemblycartridge includes a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, a diskseated on the spindle motor, a disk clamp attached to the spindle motor,wherein the disk clamp secures the disk to the spindle motor, and acover attached to the base. The base is configured to detachably mount ahead stack assembly cartridge, where the disk is accessible to a headstack assembly pivotally mounted in the head stack assembly cartridgevia an opening defined by the base and the cover. The printed circuitboard assembly includes a first interface electrically connected to thespindle motor, a second interface configured to electrically connect tothe head stack assembly, and a third interface for electricallyconnecting the printed circuit board assembly to a tester controller.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for testmounting a magnetic disk is provided. The method includes securing adisk to a spindle motor attached to a base. A cover plate is thenattached to the base. The base is configured to detachably mount a headstack assembly cartridge comprising a head stack assembly. The base andthe cover plate define an opening to make the disk accessible to thehead stack assembly.

It is understood that other configurations of the subject technologywill become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, wherein various configurations of thesubject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. Aswill be realized, the subject technology is capable of other anddifferent configurations and its several details are capable ofmodification in various other respects, all without departing from thescope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detaileddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hard drive component test platformaccording to one configuration.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a test platform chassis according to oneconfiguration.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a disk spindle assembly cartridgeaccording to one configuration.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a head stack assembly cartridge accordingto one configuration.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a head stack assembly cartridgepivotally coupled to a disk spindle assembly cartridge according to oneconfiguration.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a hard drive component test platformaccording to one configuration.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting steps of a method for test mounting amagnetic disk according to one configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that the subject technology may be practiced without thesespecific details. In some instances, well-known structures andcomponents have been simplified or omitted from the figures to avoidobscuring the concepts of the subject technology.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of hard drive component tester 10 accordingto one embodiment. Tester 10 provides a modular testing platformcomprising four primary components: tester chassis 20, disk spindleassembly cartridge 40, head stack assembly cartridge 60, and printedcircuit board assembly 80. Tester chassis 20 is configured to allow eachof the other components to be mounted and dismounted from tester chassis20 by an operator. Disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 contains amagnetic disk mounted to a spindle motor configured to rotate the disk.Head stack assembly cartridge 60 contains a head stack assembly and isconfigured to be mated with disk spindle assembly cartridge 40. Printedcircuit board assembly 80 contains firmware and power and controlcircuitry used to operate the spindle motor in disk spindle assemblycartridge 40 and the head stack assembly in head stack assemblycartridge 60 as well as to interface with a tester controller such as acomputer configured to run tests using tester 10 and record the results.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of tester chassis 20 according to oneembodiment. Tester chassis 20 includes chassis plate 21, base plate 22,a plurality of pillars 23, a plurality of clamps 24, and a printedcircuit board assembly mount 25. In the exemplary configuration shown inFIG. 2, two clamps 24 are attached to an upper surface of chassis plate21 and arranged to allow an operator to removably mount disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 and head stack assembly cartridge 60 to the uppersurface of chassis plate 21. Clamps 24 may be toggle clamps or otherclamping devices known to those skilled in the art. In addition toclamps 24, tooling ball 26 and cartridge support 27 are also attached tothe upper surface of chassis plate 21. Tooling ball 26 provides a stopto help align disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 when being mounted onthe upper surface of chassis plate 21. Cartridge support 27 supportshead stack assembly cartridge 60 when mated to disk spindle assemblycartridge 40 and mounted on tester chassis 20. In certainconfigurations, screws or other fasteners may be used to mount andsecure disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 and/or head stack assemblycartridge 60 to the upper surface of chassis plate 21.

Printed circuit board assembly mount 25 provides a platform for mountingprinted circuit board assembly 80 to tester chassis 20. Printed circuitboard assembly 80 may be mounted to an upper surface of mount 25 usingscrews or other fasteners. Mount 25 may be made from a metal or metalalloy, such as aluminum, and insulative supports or spacers may bepositioned between mount 25 and printed circuit board assembly 80. Mount25 may be attached to chassis plate 21 using slide assemblies 28, whichallow mount 25 to be raised and lowered with respect to chassis plate21. Mount 25 may be held in a raised position with respect to chassisplate 21 using one or more clamps 29 attached to the bottom surface ofchassis plate 21. Using this configuration, printed circuit boardassembly 80 mounted to mount 25 can be lowered away from chassis plate21 when mounting head stack assembly cartridge 60 and/or disk spindleassembly cartridge 40. After head stack assembly cartridge 60 and/ordisk spindle assembly cartridge 40 are secured to the upper surface ofchassis plate 21, mount 25 can be raised using clamp 29 to bring printedcircuit board assembly 80 into electrical contact with head stackassembly cartridge 60 and disk spindle assembly cartridge 40. In thisregard, printed circuit board assembly 80 includes a first interfaceconfigured to make electrical contact and communicate electrical powerand signals with the spindle motor in disk spindle assembly cartridge40. Printed circuit board assembly 80 also includes a second interfaceconfigured to make electrical contact and communicate electrical powerand signals with a flex cable assembly of the head stack assemblymounted in head stack assembly cartridge 60. Printed circuit boardassembly 80 further includes a third interface configured to makeelectrical contact and communicate electrical signals with a testercontroller.

Printed circuit board assembly 80 may be similar or identical to printedcircuit board assemblies used in hard drives using similar or identicalinterfaces for communicating with connected components. Using productionprinted circuit board assemblies reduces costs involved in implementingtester 10 and allows for standard interface connections and protocols tobe used for communication between tester 10 and the tester controller.Furthermore, production flex cable assemblies and spindle motors may beconnected to printed circuit board assembly 80 with little or nomodification to the interfaces used to connect these components inproduction hard drives.

In the exemplary configuration shown in FIG. 2, chassis plate 21 issupported by a plurality of pillars 23, which are mounted to base plate22. Pillars 23 secure chassis plate 21 above base plate 22 withsufficient height to allow the operation of clamp 29 to raise and lowerprinted circuit board assembly mount 25. In alternative configurations,chassis plate 21 may be mounted in a rack or other support structureinstead of to pillars 23 and base plate 22. Chassis plate 21, base plate22 and pillars 23 may be made from a metal or metal alloy, such asaluminum, and may be attached to one another using screws, welding,adhesives, or other known fasteners.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of disk spindle assembly cartridge 40according to one embodiment. Disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 includesbase 41, spindle motor 42, magnetic disk 43, disk clamp 44, and coverplate 45. Spindle motor 42 is attached to an inner surface of base 41and is configured to make electrical contact with an interface onprinted circuit board assembly 80 when mounted on tester chassis 20.Spindle motor 42 may be similar or identical to spindle motors used inproduction hard drives. Spindle motor 42 may be attached to the innersurface of base 41 using screws or other fasteners known to thoseskilled in the art.

Magnetic disk 43 is seated on spindle motor 42 and is secured to spindlemotor 42 by disk clamp 44. Disk clamp 44 may be attached to spindlemotor 42 using screws or other fasteners through a central opening inmagnetic disk 43. As the screws or other fasteners are tightened, theperimeter of disk clamp 44 applies pressure on the upper surface ofmagnetic disk 43 thereby preventing slippage between magnetic disk 43and a spindle of spindle motor 42. Magnetic disk 43 and disk clamp 44may be similar or identical to magnetic disks and disk clamps used inproduction hard drives.

Magnetic disk 43 may be encoded with servo data used as initial seeds togenerate servo tracks on magnetic disk 43 for positioning a head gimbalassembly at an intended position to conduct tests. Magnetic disk 43 alsomay be encoded with servo tracks ready for use in positioning a headgimbal assembly at an intended position to conduct tests. In addition,application information supplementing servo patterns on magnetic disk 43may be encoded on magnetic disk 43 or at another storage locationaccessible to a test controller executing tests using tester 10. Theapplication information supplementing servo patterns may includeinformation on any deviation of each track with respect to roundness andspacing of adjacent tracks on magnetic disk 43, defects on the surfaceof magnetic disk 43, etc. Information for performing channeloptimization for purposes of testing also may be encoded on magneticdisk 43.

Cover plate 45 is attached to base 41, which together partially enclosemagnetic disk 43. Cover plate 45 may be attached to base 41 using screwsor other fasteners. An opening is defined along one side of disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 that provides access to magnetic disk 43 by a headstack assembly when disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 is mated withhead stack assembly cartridge 60. As will be discussed in more detailbelow, disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 may be mated with head stackassembly cartridge 60 using pivot pin 47 set in base 41 and alignmentmount 48 of base 41. In one configuration, cover plate 45 defines anopening in which transparent window 46 is set to allow visualobservation during operation of test station 10. Window 46 may be madeof plastic or glass. Window 46 may be set in the opening of cover plate45 using an adhesive or may rely on a pressure fit to remain set. Base41 and cover plate 45 may be made of a metal or metal alloy fordurability and strength. For example, base 41 and/or plate 45 may bemade from aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Alternatively, a more durablematerial such as stainless steel may be used for base 41 and/or plate45.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of head stack assembly cartridge 60 accordingto one embodiment. Head stack assembly cartridge 60 includes base plate61, pivot shaft 62, base magnet 63, head stack assembly 64, cover plate65 and pivot clamp 66. As shown in FIG. 4, pivot shaft 62 and basemagnet 63 are arranged on an inner surface of base plate 61. Pivot shaft62 is arranged on the inner surface of base plate 61 to pivotally mounthead stack assembly 64. Specifically, pivot shaft 62 is arranged toengage a pivot assembly of head stack assembly 64, which allows anactuator coil assembly of head stack assembly 64 to pivot about pivotshaft 62. Base magnet 63 is positioned on the inner surface of base pate61 to be adjacent to a coil of head stack assembly 64 when mounted toform a voice coil motor for controlling the movement of the actuatorcoil assembly about pivot shaft 62. Stops 67 and 68 are arranged on theinner surface of base plate 61 to limit the range of rotation (i.e.,angular displacement) in either direction of rotation available to theactuator coil assembly of head stack assembly 64. Ramp 69 is arranged onthe inner surface of base plate 61 for parking the actuator coilassembly when not in operation. Stops 67 and 68 and ramp 69 may besimilar or identical to those used in production hard drives.

As noted above, head stack assembly 64 includes an actuator coilassembly having a pivot assembly and a coil. Head stack assembly 64further includes a flex cable assembly for electrically connecting headstack assembly 64 to an interface on printed circuit board assembly 80.Electrical power and control signals are communicated between printedcircuit board assembly 80 and head stack assembly 64 via the flex cableassembly. Head stack assembly 64 may be similar or identical to headstack assemblies used in production hard drives. For example, testingplatform 10 may be used to test the head stack assembly prior to beingassembled in a production hard drive. Alternatively, head stack assembly64 may be modified to allow head gimbal assemblies to be detachablymounted for testing. For example, the actuator coil assembly may bemodified to include the mounting mechanism described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/500,546, entitled “Head Gimbal Assembly MountingMechanism” and filed on Jul. 9, 2009, and the clamping mechanismdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/494,869, entitled“Dual-State Clamping Mechanism” and filed on Jun. 30, 2009, both ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Cover plate 65 is attached to base plate 61 using screws or otherfasteners that allow cover plate 65 to be removable from base plate 61.In one configuration, cover magnet 70 is attached to the inner surfaceof cover plate 65. Cover magnet 70 is arranged on the inner surface ofcover plate 65 to be adjacent to the coil of head stack assembly 64 whenmounted on pivot shaft 62 and opposite base magnet 63. Base magnet 63,cover magnet 70 and the coil of head stack assembly 64 form a voice coilmotor for controlling the movement of the actuator coil assembly of headstack assembly 64.

Head stack assembly 64 may be attached to pivot shaft 62 using pivotscrew 71. To secure and stabilize head stack assembly 64 duringoperation, pivot clamp 66 is attached to cover plate 65 with load screw73 to apply a load to pivot screw 71 attaching head stack assembly 64 topivot shaft 62. In the exemplary configuration depicted in FIG. 4, pivotclamp 66 is a triangular plate with two corners configured to be seatedon pins 74 and 75 set in cover plate 65. Pin 76 is set in the thirdcorner of pivot clamp 66 and is arranged to be seated on the head ofpivot screw 71. Load screw 73 may be arranged along the altitude of thetriangular plate extending from the third corner to the mid-pointbetween the other two corners in order to balance pivot clamp 66 betweenpins 74 and 75. Tightening load screw 73 increases the load placed onthe head of pivot screw 71 with pins 74 and 75 acting as a fulcrum forpivot clamp 66, which stabilizes the actuator coil assembly of headstack assembly 64 during operation of tester 10. In an alternativeconfiguration, pivot clamp 66 may be attached to cover plate 65 with ahinge and preloaded with a spring to apply a load to pivot screw 71.Load screw 73 may be used to increase the load applied to pivot screw 71above what is available using the spring alone.

In an alternative configuration, cover plate 65 may be attached to baseplate 61 with a hinge along one side of cover plate 65 and acorresponding side of base plate 61. A clamp screw or other fastener maybe used on the opposite side of cover plate 65 and base plate 61 to holdthe two components together. This hinged implementation of cover plate65 and base plate 61 allows relatively easy access inside head stackassembly cartridge 60 to facilitate the exchange of head stack assembly64 and/or a head gimbal assembly detachably mounted on the actuator armof head stack assembly 64.

Base plate 61, cover plate 65 and pivot clamp 66 may be made of a metalor metal alloy for durability and strength. For example, aluminum or analuminum alloy may be used for base plate 61, cover plate 65 and/orpivot clamp 66. Alternatively, a more durable material such as stainlesssteel may be used for base plate 61, cover plate 65 and/or pivot clamp66.

Base plate 61 further includes pivot arm 77 and alignment mount 78.Pivot arm 77 defines a bore which is arranged to receive pivot pin 47 ofdisk spindle assembly cartridge 40 to pivotally couple head stackassembly cartridge 60 with disk spindle assembly cartridge 40. FIG. 5 isa perspective view of head stack assembly cartridge 60 pivotally coupledto disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 according to one embodiment. Ashead stack assembly cartridge 60 is pivoted with respect to disk spindleassembly cartridge 40, alignment mount 78 on head stack assemblycartridge 60 ultimately meets and aligns with alignment mount 48 on diskspindle assembly cartridge 40 in a closed position. Specifically,alignment mounts 48 and 78 may be configured with opposing steps so thatalignment mounts 48 and 78 interlock with both vertical and opposingmating surfaces. In this manner, head stack assembly cartridge 60 isaligned with disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 to allow head stackassembly 64 to access magnetic disk 43 contained within disk spindleassembly cartridge 40. Thumb screw 79, or another fastener, may be usedto lock alignment mounts 48 and 78 together.

When mated together, disk spindle assembly cartridge 40 and head stackassembly cartridge 60 create an internal environment similar to that ofa production hard drive. The interior dimensions of disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 and head stack assembly cartridge 60 are similarto those of a production hard drive. This similarity both allowscomponents from production hard drives to be used in these modules aswell as creates similar environmental conditions under which componenttesting can be performed.

The configurations of the disk spindle assembly cartridge and the headstack assembly cartridge are not limited to those described above. Forexample, the disk spindle assembly cartridge may include more than onemagnetic disk seated on and secured to the spindle motor.Correspondingly, the head stack assembly in the head stack assemblycartridge may include multiple head gimbal assemblies arranged to accessone or both sides of each of the magnetic disks in the disk spindleassembly cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting steps of a method for test mounting amagnetic disk according to one configuration of the components describedabove. In step S701, magnetic disk 43 is secured to spindle motor 42attached to base 41. As discussed above, magnetic disk 43 may be securedto spindle motor 42 by seating magnetic disk 43 on spindle motor 42 andattaching disk clamp 44 to spindle motor 42 through a central opening inmagnetic disk 43. Disk clamp 44 may be attached to spindle motor 42using screws or other fasteners, which apply pressure on magnetic disk43 to prevent slippage between magnetic disk 43 and spindle motor 42. Instep S702, cover plate 45 is attached to base 41, thereby partiallyenclosing magnetic disk 43. Cover plate 45 and base 41 define an openingto make magnetic disk 43 accessible to a head stack assembly.

In step S703, base 41 is attached to tester chassis 20. Base 41 may beattached to tester chassis 20 using one or more clamps 24 or otherfasteners. In step S704, base 41 is coupled to head stack assemblycartridge 60. For example, pivot pin 47 on base 41 may be aligned with abore in pivot arm 77 on head stack assembly cartridge 60, therebypivotally coupling base 41 to head stack assembly cartridge 60. Headstack assembly cartridge 60 may be pivoted about pivot pin 47 untilalignment mount 48 meets and aligns with alignment mount 78 of headstack assembly cartridge 60. Base 41 may be secured to head stackassembly cartridge 60 using thumb screw 79 threaded through alignmentmount 78 and alignment mount 48. In step S705, spindle motor 42 iselectrically connected to printed circuit board assembly 80 mounted ontester chassis 20. As described above, spindle motor 42 may be broughtinto electrical contact with an interface on printed circuit boardassembly 80. This electrical contact may be facilitated by raisingprinted circuit board assembly 80 mounted on mount 25 by operation ofclamp 29 and slide assemblies 28.

As described above, tester 10 is a modular hard drive component tester.Tester 10 is designed to allow one or more of the modules making up thesystem to be exchanged relatively quickly and easily. For example,tester 10 may be used to test head stack assemblies. To test a series ofhead stack assemblies, tester 10 may be arranged as shown in FIG. 6,with disk pack assembly pack 40 and printed circuit board assembly 80mounted to tester chassis 20. Each of the head stack assemblies may bemounted in respective head stack assembly cartridges 60, which aresequentially mounted on tester chassis 20. Once mated with disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 and electrically connected to an interface onprinted circuit board assembly 80, the head stack assembly may betested. Once testing is complete, the head stack assembly cartridge isremoved from tester chassis 20 and the next head stack assemblycartridge is mounted. Alternatively, cover plate 65 may be removed frombase plate 61 while head stack assembly cartridge 60 remains mounted totester chassis 20. Once cover plate 65 is removed, an operator can swaphead stack assembly 64 or a head gimbal assembly detachably mounted tothe actuator arm of head stack assembly 64 and replace cover plate 65.Similar processes may be used to exchange magnetic disks in disk spindleassembly cartridges either by swapping the disk spindle assemblycartridge mounted on the tester chassis or by removing cover plate 45.

The hard drive component tester described herein is not limited to themounting and alignment configurations described above. For example,tester chassis 20 may be configured with tracks in which disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 and head stack assembly cartridge 60 are slidablymounted using rails or another structure corresponding to the tracks ontester chassis 20. The tracks on tester chassis 20 and the rails on diskspindle assembly cartridge 40 and head stack assembly cartridge 60 keepthe components aligned with one another when mounted on tester chassis20. Clamps or other locking mechanisms may be used to hold disk spindleassembly cartridge 40 and head stack assembly cartridge 60 together andin place during test operations.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in themasculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., herand its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used forconvenience only and do not limit the invention.

A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. Aphrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and viceversa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that suchconfiguration is essential to the subject technology or that suchconfiguration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Adisclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations,or one or more configurations. A phrase such a configuration may referto one or more configurations and vice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example orillustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects or designs.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or thelike is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended tobe inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” isinterpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

1. A hard drive component tester, comprising: a chassis plate; a diskspindle assembly cartridge removably mounted on a top surface of thechassis plate, wherein the disk spindle assembly cartridge comprises: abase; a spindle motor attached to the base; a disk seated on the spindlemotor; a disk clamp attached to the spindle motor, wherein the diskclamp secures the disk to the spindle motor; and a cover attached to thebase, wherein the base is configured to detachably mount a head stackassembly cartridge, and wherein the disk is accessible to a head stackassembly pivotally mounted in the head stack assembly cartridge via anopening defined by the base and the cover; a printed circuit boardassembly mounted on the chassis plate, wherein the printed circuit boardassembly comprises a first interface electrically connected to thespindle motor, a second interface configured to electrically connect tothe head stack assembly, and a third interface for electricallyconnecting the printed circuit board assembly to a tester controller. 2.The hard drive component tester according to claim 1, further comprisinga plurality of clamps attached to the top surface of the chassis plate,wherein the plurality of clamps attached to the top surface of thechassis plate are operable to secure the disk spindle assembly cartridgeto the top surface of the chassis plate.
 3. The hard drive componenttester according to claim 2, wherein the printed circuit board assemblyis slidably mounted on the chassis plate.
 4. The hard drive componenttester according to claim 3, further comprising a clamp attached to thebottom surface of the chassis plate, wherein the clamp attached to thebottom surface of the chassis plate is operable to raise and lower theprinted circuit board assembly with respect to the chassis plate.
 5. Thehard drive component tester according to claim 4, wherein the pluralityof clamps mounted on the top and bottom surfaces of the chassis plateare toggle clamps.
 6. The hard drive component tester according to claim1, further comprising: a plurality of pillars attached to the chassisplate; and a base plate attached to the plurality of pillars, whereinthe base plate is separated from the chassis plate by the plurality ofpillars.
 7. The hard drive component tester according to claim 1,wherein the cover of the disk spindle assembly cartridge comprises atransparent window.
 8. The hard drive component tester according toclaim 1, further comprising a pivot pin set in the base of the diskspindle assembly cartridge, wherein the pivot pin is configured topivotally couple the head stack assembly cartridge to the disk spindleassembly cartridge.
 9. The hard drive component tester according toclaim 8, wherein the base of the disk spindle assembly cartridgecomprises an alignment mount arranged on the base, and wherein thealignment mount is configured to align the disk spindle assemblycartridge with the head stack assembly cartridge in a closed position.10. The hard drive component tester according to claim 9, wherein thealignment mount of the disk spindle assembly cartridge is furtherconfigured to receive a fastener for securing the head stack assemblycartridge to the disk spindle assembly cartridge in the closed position.11. The hard drive component tester according to claim 1, wherein thedisk clamp of the disk spindle assembly cartridge is removably attachedto the spindle motor and the cover is removably attached to the base.12. The hard drive component tester according to claim 1, wherein thedisk of the disk spindle assembly cartridge is encoded with test data.